Variations of precipitable water vapor from 2012 to 2019 over the Philippines using radiosondes

Abstract

Abstract Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) refers to the content of water vapor in the atmosphere which is significant in observing climate changes. The trends and variations of precipitable water vapor in Laoag, Legazpi, Mactan, and Puerto Princesa from 2012-2019, are presented through the use of radiosonde data derived from the database of the Integrated Global Radiosonde Archives (IGRA). These data were analyzed for possible patterns through a time series of its daily, monthly, and annual mean, together with a Lomb-Scargle periodogram, and Mann-Kendall test. The results observed varying trends and variability. Legazpi and Puerto Princesa with a minimum value of 20 mm, observed a gradual downward trend of PWV. Laoag and Mactan detected an upward trend of PWV with a minimum of 10 mm and 20 mm, respectively. It also showed an annual and bi-annual periodicity of PWV. Furthermore, all cities detected an increase of PWV during the wet months of May to September, while the dry months of October to April with slight variations over 8 years. In terms of seasonality, only Laoag observed a slightly different dry season, with January, February, and March experiencing around 5 mm less in monthly PWV variation compared to the other cities. The correlation of surface temperature and relative humidity of PWV observed an overall increasing trend while showing a general moderate positive correlation. This study can be used for future references for meteorologists for upcoming forecasting on the likelihood of different weather phenomena in the Philippines.